Can't See the Truth

Toni woke up with a start and, just for a second, she didn’t recognize where she was. Then, it hit her.

She was home.

Loki sat up and put a hand on her back. “Darling?” he asked quietly so as to not wake anyone else. “Are you alright? Did you have a bad dream?”

Toni shook her head softly. “No, no,” she said. “I just...I’m used to the asylum.”

She looked around and noticed that the two of them were still in the living room with the lights from the city being the only form of illumination in the room. Toni took a good, long look at Loki who looked more godly now than he ever had before.

A smile crept on Loki’s face. “What are you smirking at?” he asked her as he took her hand in his.

“You,” she replied honestly, realizing that she had been indeed giving a half smile to her lover. “I’m thinking about you.”

Loki leaned forward, trying to be extra gentle, and planted a soft kiss on Toni’s lips. She could feel the warmth spread through her cheeks, into her chest, and finally into her stomach where the loving heat transformed into butterflies. As Loki pulled away, Toni put a hand in his hair and pulled him back in for another kiss, not wanting the blissful feeling to end. Loki moved closer slowly and carefully, kissing her over and over again while moving his hands to her hips.

“I love you,” he whispered in her ear as he placed a sweet kiss on her neck.

Toni gave a happy sigh. “I love you too,” she replied just as softly.

Loki moved his hand so it slipped under her shirt, but still rested on her hip. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly, suddenly sounding concerned.

Toni nodded and moved his hand up a little higher under her shirt until his fingers made contact with her bra strap.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “Is this what you want?”

“Yes,” Toni said, placing a kiss on Loki’s cheek. “I’ll be okay, I promise.”

Loki undid her bra and let it fall to the floor, giving her plenty of kisses as he did so.

****

Toni woke up naked under the throw blanket in Loki’s arms. The sun was still a few hours out from rising, but Toni felt more awake and refreshed and happy than she had been in months. The couch was surprisingly more comfortable than expected and although Toni was ready to hop up and start her day, she found it incredibly difficult to leave the arms of her lover.

Loki’s eyes opened groggily. “Good morning, my love,” he said, voice still raspy from sleeping.

Toni placed a kiss on his head. “Good morning. Where did you put my clothes?”

Loki shrugged. “Here and there,” he replied mischievously. “You’re going to have to find them.”

Toni nodded. “Mmhm, or,” she said as she stood and yanked away the throw blanket, covering herself up in it. “You could tell me where they are.”

With a sigh, Loki, who was just as naked as Toni, rolled over on the couch. “You drive a very hard bargain.”

Toni smirked and walked back to her bedroom and pulled on a pair of pjs before heading out into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. On her way out, she caught a glimpse of the clock. 4:45 AM.

The young woman shrugged and grabbed the prescription bag as she closed the door behind her.

The kitchen was laid out exactly how she remembered. She grabbed the bag of whole bean caramel flavoured coffee and the grinder and put the two together, grinding enough beans for a whole pot.

Loki walked into the kitchen and hugged his fiancee from behind, still shirtless, but otherwise fully clothed.

“How very kind of you,” he mumbled to her before kissing her collarbone.

“I figured I could do something to help out, ya know?”

Loki nodded and then walked to the fridge. “You don’t need to, though,” he added as he opened the door. “You’ve only just come home.”

“I want to feel like part of the family,” she replied as she put the grounds into the filter in the coffee pot and started the brewing process. “This is only step one.”

Loki closed the fridge after finding a carton of orange juice. “And what, my dear, is step two?”

She smiled at him. “Well I’m hoping at some point you and I will still be able to get married.”

Loki smiled back at Toni as he grabbed a glass from the cupboard. “Of course, darling.”

One by one, the rest of the family gradually made their way into the kitchen simply by the smell of the freshly brew coffee. It was a cereal and PopTarts day for everyone, but nobody complained. In fact, everyone seemed to be in a much more cheery mood since Toni came back home.

“We missed you a lot, didn’t we Francis?”

The Newfie’s ears went almost straight up upon hearing his name. After a second or two, he nuzzled at Pamplemousse’s hand, wanting affection.

“I missed you too, Pamplemousse.” Toni said, giving her a big hug. “And I promise I’m not gonna leave like that again, okay?”

The ten-year-old smiled brightly at Toni and nodded, continuing to eat her Lucky Charms.